Wednesday, 14 September 2016

Rcom-Aircel merger gets board approval

Reliance
Communications-Aircel merger will create a subscriber base of 190 million with
Bharti Airtel having a subscriber base of 251 million, followed by Vodafone
with 198 million and Idea Cellular with subscriber base of 175 million.

Reliance Communications (RCom) board on Wednesday approved the
company’s merger with Aircel, in one of the biggest deals in the telecom space
in recent times. It also comes at a time whenMukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio has
made an aggressive entry into the telecom industry, sending jitters among
incumbents.

RCOM and MCB will each hold a
50% stake in the merged entity (“MergedCo”), with equal representation on the
Board of Directors and all Committees. The company will be managed by an
independent professional team under the supervision of the Board.

RCOM’s overall debt will reduce by Rs 20,000 crore ($3 billion) or
over 40% of its total debt, and Aircel’s debt will reduce by Rs 4,000 crore
(4600 million), upon completion of the transaction in 2017.

The MergedCo will be one of
India’s largest private sector companies, with an asset base of over Rs 65,000
crore ($9.7 billion) and net worth of Rs 35,000 crore ($5.2 billion), said
Reliance’s release.

The MergedCo will have the
second-largest spectrum holding amongst all operators, aggregating 448 MHz
across the 850, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz bands, and will enjoy enhanced business
continuity through extended validity of spectrum holdings till 2033-35, the
release added.

Commenting on the merger, Anil Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Group,
said, “Together with our partners, MCB, we are delighted to have taken the lead
in consolidation of the Indian telecom sector, first, with RCOM’s acquisition
of the wireless business of SSTL (Sistema/MTS), and now, with the combination
of our business with Aircel Ltd. in a 50:50 Joint Venture with MCB.

We expect this combination to
create substantial long term value for shareholders of both, RCOM and MCB,
given the benefits of the wide-ranging spectrum portfolio and significant
revenue and cost synergies.”

Reports suggest that the merger will create a subscriber base of
190 million with Bharti Airtel having a subscriber base of 251
million, followed by Vodafone with 198 million and Idea Cellular with
subscriber base of 175 million. Reliance Communication has spent Rs 5,384 crore
in the 850 MHZ space. Share price of the company on Wednesday ended 2.72 per
cent up at Rs 51.05. The announcement came after market hours.

Chandan Taparia, analyst with Anand Rathi Financial Services said,
“The move will increase the subscriber base of Reliance Communications, which
is positive for the company.” He is bullish on Reliance
Communication shares and believes if it crosses Rs 55 in coming sessions,
then it can touch Rs 70 in the upcoming quarters.